By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam
SMU Last Chance
- March 6-8, 2025
- Dallas, Texas
- SCY (25 yards)
Highlighting competition through Saturday was Frank Applebaum of Cal. Applebaum swam to a 1:40.39 in finals of the men’s 200 butterfly on Saturday night. That swim moves him up to #14 in the NCAA this season.
Applebaum arrived with the Cal men this fall for his fifth year after spending his undergrad career at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He notably won the Division III title in the 200 fly in 2022 and 2023 and arrived at Cal with a best time of a 1:43.39. With the cutline falling around line 30, Applebaum now earns a likely invite at NCAAs. This will mark the second season in which a former Division III swimmer has taken their fifth year at the Division I level and earned an invite to NCAAs.
Also moving up the rankings in the 200 fly was Missouri’s Jan Zubik as he posted a 1:41.14 during a time trial. That time sits at #28 in the NCAA this season and below the 1:42.10 it took to make NCAAs last year. Fellow teammate Grant Bochenski posted a 45.12 during a time trial in the 100 back to sit at #22 in the NCAA this year.
The Stanford men had numerous men move up the rankings. Rick Mihm swam to a 1:42.24 in the 200 IM, and he is now tied at #23 in the NCAA this season. That move sits him on the right side of the cutline as it took a 1:43.05 to make the meet in the event a year ago.
Zhier Fan swam to a lifetime best in the 100 breaststroke with a 51.28, a time that sits at #18 in the NCAA this season. Fan will look to return to NCAAs after finishing 27th in the 100 breast a year ago.
Andres DuPont swam the 100 free in prelims and finals posting a 42.06 in finals but swam even faster with a 41.72 during a time trial. That swim moves him up to #22 in the NCAA this season. It took a 42.19 to make the meet a year ago but the event has gotten much faster this season as 38 men have been sub-42 seconds.
USC’s Chris O’Grady swam to a 1:52.07 in prelims before scratching the event in finals. That swim moved him up to #18 in the NCAA this season and below the 1:53.12 it took to make NCAAs last year. Cal’s Hank Rivers swam a 2:05.94 in prelims before posting a 1:51.23 in finals to move up to #12 in the NCAA this season.
The 1650 free saw two men improve their season best times. Matthew Chai of Cal posted a 14:49.02 to sit at #29 in the NCAA this season while Stanford’s Gabe Machado swam a 14:50.37 to sit at #36. The swims are on the bubble as they are close to line 30. Both are faster than the 14:54.92 it took to make the meet last year.
SMU’s Jack Berube swam to another school record, posting a 1:40.37 in the 200 backstroke. That sits at #38 in the NCAA this season, likely on the wrong side of the cutline but it is close to call. The cutline fell at a 1:40.62 last year.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Cal’s Frank Applebaum Posts Lifetime Best With 1:40.39 200 Fly At SMU Last Chance